A uses and gratification approach to political communication will be employed to explore differences among black adults in their political attitudes and behaviors, television exposure, and social processes accounting for these differences. This secondary analysis will contain panel data collected, in San Francisco, at 3 points in time--two times prior to and two weeks following the mayoralty elections. A recursive structural equation model will be used to interpret patterns of direct and indirect effects of four sets of variables--background, subjective orientations, television exposure, and political effects. Results are expected to indicate that variation in political attitudes and behaviors (particularly those related to compaign issue accuracy and interest in the campaign) are systematically related to differences among black adults in their exposure to the medium, subjective orientations, and background characteristics. It is expected to be concluded that various political effects are transmitted by subjective orientations and, to a lesser extent, television exposure, thus, indicating the viability of the uses and gratification approach. Although some of the more general conclusions of past political communication research are expected to be supported, the importance of taking into account the heterogeneity in the black population is expected to be emphasized.